crucifixion | Craig T. Owens

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Look How Deep Christ’s Love Is!

April 16, 2017 — Craig T. Owens

For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from My Father. (John 10:17–18)

“Why does Jesus say this? Why does He stress His willingness to die? Because if it weren’t true—if His death were forced on Him, if it weren’t free, if His heart weren’t really in it—then a big question mark would be put over His love for us.

“The depth of His love is in its freedom. If He didn’t die for us willingly—if He didn’t choose the suffering and embrace it—then how deep is His love, really? So He stresses it. He makes it explicit. ‘It comes out of me, not out of circumstances, not out of pressure, but out of what I really long to do.’ …

“Anybody who makes a statement like that is either mentally deranged, or lying, or God. ‘I have authority from inside death, as a dead man, to take life back again, when I please.’ Now what’s the point here? Well, which is harder: to control when you die, or to give yourself life again once you are dead? Which is harder: to say, ‘I lay my life down on my own initiative’? Or to say, ‘I will take my life back again after I am dead’?

“The answer is obvious. And that’s the point. If Jesus could—and did—take His life back again from the dead, then He was free indeed. If He controlled when He came out of the grave, He certainly controlled when He went into the grave.

“So here’s the point. The resurrection of Jesus is given to us as the confirmation or evidence that He was indeed free in laying down His life. And so the resurrection is Christ’s testimony to the freedom of His love. …

“‘My resurrection is a shout over My love for My sheep: It was free! It was free! I chose it. I embraced it. I was not caught. I was not cornered. Nothing can constrain Me to do what I do not choose to do. I had power to take My life from death. And I have taken My life from death. How much more, then, could I have kept My life from death!

“‘I am alive to show you that I really loved you.” —John Piper

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: crucifixion, Easter, freedom, God's love, Jesus Christ, John Piper, resurrection, Resurrection Sunday. 1 Comment »

Poetry Saturday—See How The Patient Jesus Stands

April 15, 2017 — Craig T. Owens

See how the patient Jesus stands,

Insulted in His lowest case!

Sinners have bound the Almighty hands,

And spit in their Creator’s face.

With thorns His temple gored and gashed

Send streams of blood from every part;

His back’s with knotted scourges lashed,

But sharper scourges tear His heart.

Nailed naked to the accursed wood

Exposed to earth and heaven above,

A spectacle of wounds and blood,

A prodigy of injured love!

Hark! how His doleful cries affright

Affected angels, while they view;

His friends forsook Him in the night,

And now His God forsakes Him too!

Behold that pale, that languid face,

That drooping head, those languid eyes!

Behold in sorrow and disgrace

Our conquering Hero hangs, and dies!

Ye that assume His sacred name,

Now tell me, what can all this mean?

What was it bruised God’s harmless Lamb,

What was it pierced His soul but sin?

Blush, Christian, blush: let shame abound:

If sin affects thee not with woe,

Whatever life is in thee found,

The life of Christ thou doest not know. —Joseph Hart

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: blood, Calvary, conqueror, Creator, crucifixion, forgiveness, God's love, Holy Week, Jesus Christ, Joseph Hart, patience, poem, poetry, sacrifice, sinner. Leave a Comment »

Why Did Jesus Take Your Punishment?

April 14, 2017 — Craig T. Owens

“Christ lived the life we could not live and took the punishment we could not take to offer the hope we cannot resist. Why? Jesus was angry enough to purge the temple, hungry enough to eat raw grain, distraught enough to weep in public, fun-loving enough to be called a drunkard, winsome enough to attract kids, weary enough to sleep in a storm-bounced boat, poor enough to sleep on dirt, radical enough to get kicked out of town, responsible enough to care for His mother, tempted enough to know the smell of satan, and fearful enough to sweat blood.

“Why? Why would heaven’s finest Son endure earth’s toughest pain? So you would know that ‘He is able…to run to the cry of…those who are being tempted and tested and tried’ (Hebrews 2:18, AMP). Whatever you are facing, He knows how you feel. When you turn to Him for help, He runs to you to help. Why? He knows how you feel. He’s been there. He’s not ashamed of you. Nor is He confused by you. Your actions don’t bewilder Him. Your tilted halo doesn’t trouble Him. So go to Him.” —Max Lucado, in On Calvary’s Hill

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Calvary, crucifixion, God's love, Good Friday, Hebrews, Jesus Christ, Max Lucado. Leave a Comment »

7 Quotes From “On Calvary’s Hill”

April 12, 2017 — Craig T. Owens

Max Lucado has given us a treasure-trove of insights into the Passion Week! Here are a few quotes from On Calvary’s Hill, and also please check out my full review of this book by clicking here.

“Jesus knows what these men are about to do. By morning they will bury their heads in shame and look down at their feet in disgust. And when they do, He wants them to remember how His knees knelt before them and he washed their feet. . . . He forgave their sin before they even committed it. He offered mercy before they even sought it.”

“The next time the fog finds you, remember Jesus in the Garden. The next time you think that no one understands or cares, reread the fourteenth chapter of Mark and pay a visit to Gethsemane. And the next time you wonder if God really perceives the pain that prevails on this dusty planet, listen to Him pleading among the twisted trees. The next time you are called to suffer, pay attention. It may be the closest you’ll ever get to God. Watch closely. It could very well be that the hand that extends itself to lead you out of the fog is a pierced one.”

“How did Jesus endure the terror of the crucifixion? He went first to the Father with His tears. He modeled the words of Psalm 56:3: ‘When I am afraid, I put my trust in You’ (NLT). Do the same with yours. Don’t avoid life’s Gardens of Gethsemane. Enter them. Just don’t enter them alone. And while there, be honest. Pounding the ground is permitted. Tears are allowed. And if you sweat blood, you won’t be the first. Do what Jesus did; open your heart.”

“O Conquering One, I gladly open wide the gates of my life and ask You to enter. You see where the enemy has invaded and done his damage. Come, Lord Jesus, come, and speak Your words of truth and power into my life and cleanse my temple. In Your name, Jesus, amen.”

“The sinless One took on the face of a sinner so that we sinners could take on the face of a saint.”

“What you and I face daily, He never knew. Anxiety? He never worried! Guilt? He was never guilty! Fear? He never left the presence of God! Jesus never knew the fruits of sin . . . until He became sin for us. He did it for you. Just for you.”

“Jesus’ love does not depend on what we do for Him. Not at all. In the eyes of the King, you have value simply because you are.”

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: book review, Calvary, crucifixion, forgiveness, Gethsemane, God's love, Holy Week, Jesus Christ, Max Lucado, Passion Week, prayer, quotes, salvation. Leave a Comment »

On Calvary’s Hill (book review)

April 11, 2017 — Craig T. Owens

Max Lucado has written several books concerning the week leading up to Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection. In On Calvary’s Hill, you will be treated to 40 of the best looks from all of these previous books into what was happening during this pivotal week.

Max Lucado has both a firm grasp of Scripture, and a keen imagination to “read between the lines” of the biblical accounts. God has truly gifted him with the skill to take his readers behind the scenes, and even into the very thoughts of the key characters in the many stories that make up the big story of Christ’s Passion.

These forty entries make excellent reading during the Lent season, to help you appreciate more fully the work Jesus did for us on Calvary. But, honestly, this book could be read at any time during the year and still have immense value to those who want to know more about what Jesus accomplished on the Cross.

Don’t miss this book!

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Bible, book review, Calvary, Cross, crucifixion, Holy Week, Jesus Christ, Lent, Max Lucado, Passion Week, resurrection, Resurrection Sunday, Scripture. 6 Comments »

Poetry Saturday—The Monster Death

April 8, 2017 — Craig T. Owens

Break off your tears, ye saints, and tell

How high your great Deliverer reigns;

Sing how He spoiled the hosts of hell,

And led the monster death in chains:

Say, Live forever, wondrous King!

Born to redeem, and strong to save;

Then ask the monster, Where’s thy sting?

And, Where’s thy victory, boasting grave? —Isaac Watts

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Calvary, Christianity, crucifixion, death, deliverance, Hell, Isaac Watts, Jesus Christ, poem, poetry, resurrection, victory. Leave a Comment »

What If Jesus Had Been Physically Weak?

February 27, 2017 — Craig T. Owens

We have been exploring the whole health of Jesus, as Dr. Luke recorded it in Luke 2:52. In this verse Luke tells us that Jesus grew in wisdom (mental health), stature (physical health), in favor with God (spiritual health) and in favor with men (emotional/social health). Being unhealthy in any one of these areas will ultimately pull down the health in all of the areas.

The life of Jesus shows us that we, too, must strive to live wholly healthy lives.

Yesterday at Calvary Assembly of God, Scott asked a challenging question: “What if Jesus hadn’t been strong enough to make it to the top of Calvary’s hill?”

Think about the excruciating torture Jesus went through—

He was sleep deprived.
He was dehydrated from His intense prayer time in Gethsemane, where He sweat blood.
He was emotionally depleted from having all of His friends abandon and deny Him.
He was beaten multiple times by temple guards and Roman soldiers.
He was brutally whipped to the point that His back muscles and nerves were exposed.
He had thorns crushed into His scalp.
He had His beard ripped out.
He had to carry a 60- to 90-pound wooden crossbeam nearly 650 yards uphill.

All of this took place before He had metal spikes slammed through His wrists and ankles, and then was hoisted up rudely into the air to be suspended from His Cross.

Jesus went through all of that for you and me. In making it all the way to the point where He said, “It is finished,” He fulfilled every prophesy concerning His death.

The only way Jesus could have made it through this is if He was at optimal physical health.

If Jesus had died from exhaustion or heart attack or loss of blood before He was actually nailed to the Cross, how many of the prophesies would have been left unfinished? He needed to keep His physical body in tip-top shape throughout His entire earthly life in order to be ready for this one crucial moment.

Being physically weak makes it difficult for us to…

…think clearly (mental health)
…concentrate on the things of God (spiritual health)
…control our emotions and respond appropriately to other people (emotional/social health)

So we, like Jesus, must work on our physical health. God has a plan for your life. In order for you to fulfill all God has in mind, you must be wholly healthy. Are you taking care of your physical body? If you’re not, you are slowly robbing all of the other areas of your life of the strength they need.

If you’re not as physically healthy as you could be, what are you willing to do differently?

Check out this 3-minute clip where Scott asks us what physical health changes we’re willing to make for God’s glory…

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Calvary, Calvary Assembly of God, crucifixion, exhaustion, God's plan, Gospel of Luke, healthy, Jesus Christ, physical health, prophesy, Scott Troost, video, YouTube. 2 Comments »

The Resurrection Of Jesus Makes All The Difference

February 14, 2017 — Craig T. Owens

“When Jesus was crucified, His followers were discouraged and depressed. They no longer had confidence that Jesus had been sent by God, because they believed anyone crucified was accursed by God. They also had been taught that God would not let His Messiah suffer death. So they disbursed. The Jesus movement was all but stopped in its tracks. Then, after a short period of time, we see them abandoning their occupations, regathering, and committing themselves to spread a very specific message—that Jesus Christ was the Messiah of God who died on the Cross, returned to life, and was seen alive by them. And they were willing to spend the rest of their lives proclaiming this, without any payoff from a human point of view. It’s not as though there were a mansion awaiting them on the Mediterranean. They faced a life of hardship. They often went without food, slept exposed to the elements, were ridiculed, beaten, imprisoned. And finally, most of them were executed in torturous ways. For what? For good intentions? No, because they were convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that they had seen Jesus Christ alive from the dead. What you can’t explain is how this particular group of men came up with this particular belief without having had an experience of the resurrected Christ. There’s no other adequate explanation.” —J. P. Moreland, quoted in More Than A Carpenter

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: crucifixion, J.P. Moreland, Jesus Christ, quotes, resurrection. 1 Comment »

Poetry Saturday—Begone Unbelief

February 11, 2017 — Craig T. Owens

Begone unbelief, my Savior is near,

And for my relief will surely appear:

By prayer let me wrestle, and He wilt perform,

With Christ in the vessel, I smile at the storm.

Though dark be my way, since He is my guide,

’Tis mine to obey, ’tis His to provide;

Though cisterns be broken, and creatures all fail,

The Word He has spoken shall surely prevail.

His love in time past forbids me to think

He’ll leave me at last in trouble to sink;

Each sweet Ebenezer I have in review,

Confirms His good pleasure to help me quite through.

Determined to save, He watched o’er my path,

When satan’s blind slave, I sported with death;

And can He have taught me to trust in His name,

And thus far have brought me, to put me to shame?

Why should I complain of want or distress,

Temptation or pain? He told me no less:

The heirs of salvation, I know from His Word,

Through much tribulation must follow their Lord.

How bitter that cup, no heart can conceive,

Which He drank quite up, that sinners might live!

His way was much rougher, and darker than mine;

Did Jesus thus suffer, and shall I repine?

Since all that I meet shall work for my good,

The bitter is sweet, the medicine is food;

Though painful at present, wilt cease before long,

And then, O! how pleasant, the conqueror’s song! —John Newton

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: crucifixion, difficulties, God's love, God's Word, Jesus Christ, John Newton, poem, poetry, prayer, Savior, temptation, trials. Leave a Comment »

Love Re-members

February 6, 2017 — Craig T. Owens

Christians often talk about God in terms of the “Trinity.” That is, the One True God revealed in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

This is sometimes a difficult concept to grasp, especially since the word Trinity doesn’t specifically appear in the Bible. But make no mistake, just because the word isn’t there doesn’t mean it’s not true. Consider…

God’s Three-in-One nature is first exhibited when man is created (Genesis 1:26).
When the prophesy is given about Jesus being born in human flesh, He is given all the titles of the three Persons of the Godhead (Isaiah 9:6).
At Christ’s baptism we see Jesus in human form, we see the Holy Spirit descending as a dove, and we hear the Father’s voice announcing His approval of His Son (Matthew 3:16-17).
Jesus Himself said He would ask the Father to send the Holy Spirit to the Christians (John 14:16).
And just as Jesus ascended into Heaven, He told His followers to baptize people into all three Persons of the Godhead (Matthew 28:19).

But I think the best expression of the Trinity is revealed in three simple words. John talks about how all three Persons of the Trinity are involved in the life of a Christian. And then he sums it all up in three words—

“GOD IS LOVE”

Each Person of the Godhead is encouraging and illuminating and pointing to the other Persons in the Trinity. Love is perpetually being received and given. We humans are created in God’s image … we are created to receive and to give God’s love. That’s why John tells us that we know and rely on the love God has for us (that’s the receiving part), and that whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him (that’s the giving part).

When Adam and Eve sinned, they were dis-membered from God. As a result, every human in their natural state longs for connection with God and others, but feels separated, isolated, unloved, and even unlovable.

Love re-members!

Jesus came to be broken and crushed and to feel the pain of separation from God. It was out of this brokenness that He could do the work of re-membering us to the fullness of the Trinity.

When Jesus shared His last supper with His disciples, He took bread (which is made from broken wheat kernels) and wine (which is made from crushed grapes). He told us as often as we eat the bread and drink the wine we are to remember how He was broken and crushed for us.

Remembering Christ’s work on the Cross re-members us to the fullness of the Trinity.

Sin and satan want to keep us feeling separated, unloved, and unloveable. But when we were the least worthy of His love, God—Who IS love—was broken and crushed to re-member us to Him.

If you feel lonely, separated, isolated, unloved or unloveable, I urge you to remember what Jesus did for you. He loved you enough to be broken and crushed for your re-membering to all of God’s love.

Check out this video where I explain this amazing thought in more detail…